


Summer Again

by 3rdgymmanager



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Awkward Tsukishima Kei, F/M, Original Character(s), Protective Tsukishima Kei, Tsukishima Kei is Bad at Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:47:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27510052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3rdgymmanager/pseuds/3rdgymmanager
Summary: What's Tsukishima like in a long term relationship? How does he react when he runs into a significant other's parents?
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Original Character(s), Tsukishima Kei/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	Summer Again

**Author's Note:**

> You can read the rest of the series here: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1862608

Sub-urbs of Miyagi  
3rd Year Junior High  
6:00 PM

Tsukki waited for Kaori just outside their gate. It took their third year in Junior High for them to walk to the summer festival together. It surprised him that it took them this long. The sky was getting dark enough that the moon shone on their district. He stood just below the street lamp with his hands in his pockets.

Lately he had been stifling this feeling of electrifying nerves whenever he saw her. He wasn’t sure where it came from, but it built up during moments anticipation…like now. 

Kaori’s feet shuffled on the pavement as she tried closing the gate behind her. In line with the night’s festivities, she wore a dark blue yukata, one of two of her summer kimonos and his favorite one. Her outfit did not allow much movement and he could hear her grunt as she struggled to close her gate. 

“Why can’t you just wear normal people clothes?” he asked, quirking a brow. Kaori finally managed to lock their gate and they began their walk uphill to the nearby temple.

“Because,” she said hiking up her skirt so that she could take wider strides, “It looks better in photos and the yukata needed a reason to be washed.”

“Can’t you just wash it and not wear it?” seemed like a practical enough solution.

“That would be a waste of my finery,” she sighed, waving her hand at him like he wouldn’t understand her reasons. 

Aside from her obviously labored movement, he didn’t have any complaints about seeing her in a yukata. He liked how she looked so much that he was tempted to smile each time he glanced at her. It was taking all his self-control not to. 

A comfortable silence would have sunk between them, but Tsukki felt his cheeks and ears burn at the thought that they were walking to the festival alone. It seemed like they were on a date. People would talk if they were seen together like this. He needed to break the silence to keep his mind distracted. 

Kaori was checking her phone, “Kanako says she’s there, but that’s because she lives nearby. Is Yamaguchi there too?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, “We just agreed to meet at the bottom of the stairs.”

They ran into Yamaguchi at the bottom of the temple steps just as they arrived. Unlike Tsukki who was in “normal people clothes”, Yamaguchi was also in a yukata.

“Yamaguchi! I’ve never seen you in yukata before. Cool!” she greeted him.

Yamaguchi beamed at her compliment and turned around to show her the fan he had tucked in at the back of his obi or belt.

“I got it as a hand-me-down from one of my cousins. Still looks pretty new though.” he said, beginning to climb the stairs. Tsukki and Kaori followed behind him. 

“See Tsukki, if you had worn your yukata too. We could’ve all matched." he added. 

“Why would I want to match with the two of you?” he made a face. 

“Would’ve made for a nice photo.” shot Kaori.

“Yeah, plus it’ll help you feel more festive.” Yamaguchi nodded. He heard his best friend scoff. 

They reached the top of the steep steps where they paused to catch their breath. 

“Kao-chan, are your friends here yet?” Yamaguchi asked.

Before Kaori could answer, a boy in a red shirt and khaki pants approached their group. It was one of the boys from the next class.

“Kao-chan!” he called out. 

Kaori thought he looked constipated. Tsukki stiffened at the sight of a white envelope in his hand. Yamaguchi was intrigued more than anything by how the situation would shake down. He looked back and forth between the two, Tsukki and their other schoolmate. 

“Please accept my letter,” he pleaded with his eyes shut tight while he bowed to her. He held his letter with both hands in hopes she would say yes. 

Tsukki glowered at him. Yamaguchi was amused at Tsukki’s reaction. He rarely ever looked so irritated. 

“I can’t. I’m sorry,” gasped Kaori, quickly apologizing before she escaped into the crowd she yelled out, “See you guys later.” She waved at Tsukki and Yamaguchi. 

The boy exhaled in disappointment, half-ready to wail. Tsukki and Yamaguchi turn their backs and head into the food stalls. As soon as he was out of sight, Yamaguchi elbowed Tsukki in his side. 

“What?” said Tsukki. 

“Have you ever thought about asking her out? Do you ever worry that she’ll say yes to one of the boys that gives her confessions?” asked Yamaguchi, blowing on a hot piece of takoyaki. 

Tsukki groaned, “I don’t wanna talk about this right now.” 

“Maybe she’ll say yes if you tell her you like her.” he suggested. 

Tsukki was the type of person who shoved away any semblance of emotion, but his infatuation with Kaori was slowly gnawing him from the inside and Yamaguchi knew it. 

“Or maybe she’ll say no and we won’t be able to walk to school without feeling awkward.” interjected Tsukki, “Besides, I don’t mind how we are right now. I don’t want it to change. I’d rather wait until this crush on her dies than for things to get awkward.”

Tsukki was fiercely protective of his time with Kaori. That much was apparent.

“Whatever you say Tsukki,” grinned Yamaguchi, “You should’ve seen your face.”

After the fireworks signaled the end of the night’s festivities, Kaori met up with Tsukki at the bottom of the steps. 

“I told Kanako about the boy a while ago…” she mumbled, “she said he was kind of lame and I agree.”

Tsukki felt a rush of relief. 

“You don’t have to be dating. You’re competing at a really high level and at school. You don’t need the distraction.” he said.

“You sound like my mom.” she snorted, crossing her arms. 

Tsukki blushed. 

“I don’t want to have a boyfriend. It never seems to end well.” she shook her head, “I hear stories from the gym. Teenage boys are possessive. There are older girls with boyfriends and they either get broken up with because they spend all their time training or they leave the sport.”

“Even the ones that date athletes? I think athletes will be able to understand their schedule better.” he inquired. They’ve never had this conversation before. He grew curious to hear her thoughts. Would she like to date someone with his schedule?

“Dating athletes doesn’t make it last. They’re busy with their own training too.” she shrugged. 

Maybe not. 

Tsukki had his own training schedule after he joined his school’s volleyball club and he still managed to attend Kaori’s meets. What were the schedules of these boyfriends like? His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Kaori unwrapping candy. 

“At this hour?” he asked looking back and forth between her candy and her eyes, “really?”

She rolled her eyes at him, “Yeah, because Kanako isn’t around anymore. She might tell Coach I’m eating sweets.” 

He sighed. Kaori liked to snack, but it was discouraged at her gym. She was careful what she ate around her teammates. 

“Ne- what about you Tsukki? Do you have a crush in class? Doesn’t seem like it. You seem dead inside.” she nudged him, deep in thought while sucking on her lollipop. 

“Are you asking me a question or are you talking to yourself?” he shot back. He tried to look relaxed but he was tensing up. This was a question he had been trying to skirt around. 

“Both?” she shrugged her shoulders, or at least tried to in her yukata, “I know someone from school that likes you.” she grinned mischievously, wagging her finger at him. 

Tsukki swallowed a lump in his throat before he answered, “Sounds like a waste of time.”

“I don’t need a girlfriend.” he mulled over quietly. He was happy as it was walking home with her, “I’m not handsome or charming or anything. I probably can’t get a girlfriend even if I wanted to.”

“Besides, I have you.” he thought. 

“Between the three of us, it seems like Yamaguchi ’s the one that’s going to go first huh?” she said then yelped after stumbling over a bit on the road. She hiked her yukata up for the rest of the walk home. He stopped walking to see if she was alright. 

“He’s a nervous wreck around girls though.” he smiled, shaking his head. Yamaguchi was a willing enough victim except that he got nervous at any sort of confrontation with girls. 

Kaori turned to him and grinned. They burst into a chuckle.

“He is. I’m not sure he can get through the confession stage.” she giggled. 

They fell into another bout of silence until Tsukki spoke up.

“Hey Kaori?” he mumbled.

“Yeah?” she said, half gargling her words with the candy in her mouth. 

“What if you do get a boyfriend and he asks you to stop hanging out with me,” he asked, sounding slightly apprehensive, ”and Yamaguchi too.” He didn’t want to be too obvious just by asking about himself. 

Kaori scoffed.

“That’s unlikely, but if it does happen,” she paused looking at him firmly, “he has to accept that you’re part of my life too and he can’t make me push you away.’

The smallest of smiles crept up on his lips. He looked up at the moon. Kaori didn’t seem to be in love with someone else. That was good enough for now. 

————————————————  
Miyagi  
2019 (Second Year, College)  
6:00 PM

Tsukki could not stop looking at the athletic tape on Kaori’s wrist and thigh. He worried excessively when she had any sort of tape on. It immediately brought him back her major back injury during their freshman year in High School. 

In the middle of the spring semester, he found her under a street lamp two corners away from their home one evening on his way back home from the district community center. She was sitting on the concrete, leaning against the lamp with her back hunched over. 

“Kaori! Kaori! Are you alright?” he asked in disbelief. 

She looked up; her eyes were hazy. 

“My back hurts. I think I’m injured. I’m alright…just resting a bit. It hurts to carry my stuff home. That’s all.” she smiled weakly, looking up to him before moving her head back down to her knees. 

Kaori was clearly not alright. She was pale and she could barely move. Her eyes were unfocused. They were near home. He picked up her bag for her and helped her up.

“Can you walk home if I help you carry your stuff?” he asked. If he wasn’t so exhausted, he would carry her home on his back. 

She nodded and winced. Slinging her arm on his back so he could hold her up, he steadied so they could begin their walk home in a snail’s pace. He wondered how she could have even gotten this far from her gym. 

When they reached her home, her parents were still out. He gingerly put their bags down, scooped her up and carried her to the coach. She was so light. After some searching in her kitchen, he found some a box of pain patches and some a bag of ice for her back.

“Kaori, do you need anything for your back?” he asked, holding up her two options. 

She slowly flipped herself over and asked for the ice. He gently placed the bag on her back and returned the patch to her cupboard. He heard the door open and he rushed out to find her mother, who read the panicked expression on his face.

“What happened to Kaori?” she asked.

“I’m not sure…” he hesitantly spoke, “She looks very injured. I helped her get home, she could barely walk.”

Her mother thanked him and quickly dashed to the living. 

Tsukki kicked a bit of the water on the stream as he relived the memory. 

“You fret too much. My wrist is just tired, Tsukki. Don’t worry about me.” she said, tenderly running her thumb over his cheek. 

“You have a tendency to overwork yourself. Are you sure that’s nothing?” he said, pointing towards her thigh.

Kaori had worn short khakis and a plain white shirt to their little summer outing which revealed her newly taped thigh in addition to her wrist. 

She laughed sheepishly, “Ahh, I…uh…overstretched myself last week.” After goofing around with her team mates, she had felt a twitch of pain on her thigh. She pulled a muscle probably because she had pulled a stunt when her body had been cold. It should be gone in a few days. 

Tsukki rubbed his temples. Kaori sighed. She really was more careful with herself too. It would save so much more trouble for her coaches and Tsukki. Although she was the type to get injured fairly often, even her major back injury had scared her coaching team and Tsukki.

She didn’t remember much from that night on that Tsukki found her on a street near their home. The next thing she knew, she had woken up in her living room with a towel on her forehead. A spasm ran through her back, she was in so much pain. It was an injury unlike anything she had experienced. It hurt to move. It hurt to lie down. Her sight was hazy. She fell back into a deep slumber. 

The water in the stream they were in was shallow but steady. Their feet were dipped in the water to relieve themselves after a long hike in Tsukki’s hometown. Although she had frequently visited The Spot when they were younger, Kaori had found hideaways over her time in Miyagi. The shallow stream a little off the temple road was one of them. 

She had been wanting to escape the city into the mountains since the summer began. On a common day off, they visited the stream. She flicked some of the water his way. 

“If you keep furrowing your brows that way, they’ll stick like that.” she said. 

Tsukki looked at the water stains on his shirt, unmoved by Kaori’s shenanigans. He leaned back on his arms and ignored her before deftly flicking some of the water her way. Some of the water landed in her eyes.

“Hey! Not fair,” she scolded him while rubbing her eyes. She cursed at his quick reflexes. He grinned at her mischievously. Sometimes she felt like they both had completely grown up, but on days like this it was like they were still 12. 

“Very mature, Tsukishima.” she said, pretending to scowl with her hands in her waist. 

“You started it!” he scowled with his brow raised. 

She did admittedly start it. Kaori leaned her body next to his and wrapped her arms around him. 

“Ok, you win.” she could feel his head nestle on the crown of hers while she thought about how she could get back at him. Tsukki put one arm around her. He was probably wary that she was cooking up revenge. 

It was a hot, bright summer’s day. The buzz of the cicadas and the hum of the stream filled the air. The day was warm and the earth beneath them was arid. Kaori adored the stream because it was kept cool by the shade of large old trees obscuring them from the sun’s heat. 

“A friend asked me the other day if I am ever scared that our relationships would end like my parents. Why would you put effort into something that could fail?” she murmured, kicking her toes on the surface of the stream, interrupting the water trickling on the stones. 

“My my, so supportive that friend.” he rolled his eyes while running his hand through her hair. 

“What would you say to that?” she asked absentmindedly.

Tsukki paused for a minute before his hands returned to her hair, “You can say that on just about anything. I think you’re worrying too much. You just can’t go into a relationship thinking this wouldn’t work or that it isn’t worth it. Sometimes you just have to do it and see where it goes you know. ” He shrugged. 

“If this thing really doesn't work out, we’ll go back to being friends. There’s more to us than this dating thing.” he looked at her sincerely. 

“I don’t like it when people ask me that kind of question, especially when they know about you. I enjoy being happy right now. I feel like they’re doubting my happiness when they ask that.” she sighed, looking away. 

At the height of her parents’ fights, Kaori would wake up to her mother sleeping on the kitchen floor after another evening of bickering. Every time someone asked a question about the longevity of her relationship with Tsukki, she wondered if their relationship would sour to that point. 

“Sometimes those kind of questions just scare me. When people find out that I’m in a happy relationship, it makes me feel like they either think I’m naive or I’m supposed to have the key to happiness or something.” she mumbled. 

“You care too much about what other people be might be thinking,” he said, waving his hand lazily. 

The outcome of her parents’ marriage scared her, but she was damned if she didn’t take her own stab at happiness. Resolute to be happy on the days she could find joy, Kaori was going to enjoy their time together regardless of what the future held. She wasn’t going to let her parents’ poor decisions scare her. 

“What did you tell your friend?” he asked. 

“It’s not going to fail, because the arc of history is long. If we can wait four years just to be able to see each other again, we can wait however long to fix the relationship if it breaks, romantic or otherwise.”

“I was thinking, if I had two plates - one for the good pile and another pile- when stuff adds to the bad pile it doesn’t take away from the good pile. The good pile stays put. Our good days are untouchable.” Kaori spoke with so much conviction even she surprised herself. She had faith in their relationship’s ability to weather through. 

“Yeah,” he smiled, “I guess it does.”  
———————————————————————————  
“Tadaima,”

Mari Tsukishima glanced at the door as her youngest son, Kei and their former neighbor Kaori Miyahara entered their home. Kaori’s figure peaked behind Kei’s tall stature as they took of their shoes at the porch. She hadn’t seen the girl up close in almost half a decade since the Miyahara family moved out. She was more than curious to see what she looked like now.

Keenly aware of Kaori’s family problems and her status as a star athlete of sorts, Mari had always worried about her. She felt that there was a lot of pressure on a young girl’s back. Still she admired how the young girl handled herself. It implied a toughness beneath her sunny exterior. 

Upon entering the kitchen to refill their water bottles, Kaori greeted Mari with a smile and bow, lacking the shyness in many adolescent girls. When they first moved in, Mari immediately offered Kei to walk her to school in hopes of helping him make friends. She would never have imagined that they would just walk to school every day after that. She sighed. Kei had been a whole foot shorter then. It seemed so long ago.

“Do you know what the family next door is like?” Kaori asked Kei. 

He shook his head, “Not really, I just know they have young children.”

“I wonder what my room looks like now,” she murmured to herself. 

During Kei’s freshman year in High School, he had been extremely upset about her leaving. He refused to talk about it. Mari assumed that they must have made their amends because most of the sullen angst that had marked his face had dissipated, for which she was glad. 

“The neighbors have a daughter. I imagine your room still looks similar to how you left it.” said Mari, observing the two of them with her hands on one of the dining room chairs. They turned to her.

“Well, hopefully they don’t climb walls and yell at their neighbors.” sniffed Kei looking at Kaori. 

Kaori shot him a dirty look. Kei snickered. 

Although Akiteru hinted that they were dating, Kei had been quiet. She suspected as much. He always had a soft spot for Kaori. He would get defensive if she asked about her so she figured to not say anything until he was ready. Mari smiled to herself. 

Kei had been coming home more often because Kaori liked exploring her old haunts outside of the city. She was a welcomed influence especially when it meant seeing her son more than twice a year. 

“You’ve moved out. They don’t have a reason to yell.” she sniffed. 

Kei choked on his water. 

Maybe four years wasn’t so long ago, thought Mari. 

After a day spent exploring and running errands, the two made their way back to Kaori’s apartment. The sky was quickly turning light purple and the city monotonously hummed into dusk. Kaori was going through texts with one hand while holding Tsukki’s hand with the other. He listened to music on his headphones while they strolled. 

Tsukki paused at the sight of her apartment and squeezed her hand. Kaori looked up from her phone. Right in front of the apartment entrance stood Kaori’s mother, equally surprised at the sight of the two of them. Kaori dropped his hand. 

“I was in the area and I wanted to surprise you with some food.” said her mother. She turned to Tsukki and quirked her brow. 

“Hi Kei-kun,” she greeted him cordially. 

Tsukki bowed respectfully and managed to mumble out a greeting. They were definitely going to have to forgo their kiss before they went their separate ways. Kaori bade him goodbye on the spot and told him that she will text him later. 

Frozen in disbelief, Kaori stood opposite to her mother with her hands behind her back. Okasan motioned her to get up the stairs. 

“I thought you were going to stick to my no boyfriends till after college advice.” said Okasan, walking behind Kaori along the stairs of her apartment, “Is Kei still playing volleyball?”

“Yes.” Kaori answered tersely. 

“In the college varsity level?” 

“Professionally, he plays in a Division 2 League.” Kaori opened the door to her home and allowed her mother in. 

“How long has this been going on?” Okasan placed the groceries on her kitchen counter and began sorting them into her cupboards and refrigerator.

“A year maybe?” she said pausing to think while staring at her mother. Kaori had planned to tell her mother at some point, but this was too early. 

“Why didn’t you say anything?” her mother turned to her with her arms crossed. Kaori couldn’t read if her mother was upset or not. After sorting out the food, she stood across Kaori and looked her daughter in the eye. She was a little dazed herself, but she didn’t take too well that her daughter was keeping secrets from her. 

“Because it’s private? I don’t need your approval, but I also don’t want your disapproval. Besides, Tsukki’s really private. We’re not getting married yet or anything.” she asserted defensively. 

“Is this why you came back to Miyagi?”

“No, I didn’t even know where he was going for college. We lost touch when I left.“ Kaori’s voice had an edge of hostility. The thought that she made decisions solely to be with a boyfriend infuriated her. It was like her mother could not trust her to make decisions for herself. 

Okasan nodded, bade her daughter with their usual goodbye greetings and left. 

“Just make sure you finish college.” Okasan added, before closing the door. Kaori breathed a sigh of relief. Relationships were always a tough subject for the mother-daughter pair. 

Tsukki was obediently waiting in the convenient shop down the corner. Before Kaori’s mother arrived, they had planned to cook dinner together. At the sight of Miyahara-san, Kaori had bade him goodbye and texted him instructions to wait for her mother to leave at the convenience store. In her rush to send him away, she had forgotten to take her groceries with her. He sat with a can of coffee, sighing at the awkwardness of the situation. Parents and romance rarely mix but this was especially awkward. 

As soon Kaori texted him the coast was clear, he stepped out of the store. Turning his heels to the corner, he jumped back as he ran into Miyahara-san. He cursed at his luck. He should have waited about ten minutes more. 

“I forgot to give Kaori her groceries,” he said coolly, hoping she wouldn’t sense his nervousness. He held up the bag for her to see. 

She apologized for running into him. As he was stepping forward, Kaori’s mother stopped him at his tracks with a question. 

“Kei, if you don’t mind me asking, what are your intentions with my daughter?” she asked a little curtly. 

Although Kei rarely saw Kaori’s parents, Miyahara-san’s tone was still sharper than he remembered. He remembered her as a polite woman who tried to be warm. They didn’t interact much. Her parents were always away for work. 

“I want to be there for her for her last two years in college and competitive gymnastics.” he answered concisely. His heart was beating a mile a second. He was annoyed by how unnerved he was. This was not how he wanted to meet her parents. 

“What are going to do if she moves away? Kaori might move to Yokohama after college.” she said, eyeing him carefully. 

“I told her I’d move with her.” He tried to keep expression honest while simultaneously trying not to give any other emotion away. 

“Don’t you think you’re a bit young to be in such a serious relationship? Playing house and promising to move away with her and all that…” she nodded, looking him in the eye. 

Playing house? Was she mocking them? Sure, they cooked dinner together sometimes; did she need to phrase it that way?

“I didn’t want to wait until she moved away again. Besides, it kind of just happened.” he shrugged. 

“I hope you’re being sincere.”

“I am! I don’t have any reason not to be.” he said, making sure to look straight at her as they spoke.

Miyahara-san eyed the tall young man and his expressionless face. Kei had always been difficult to read. The sudden meeting had caught her unprepared. She decided to keep her questions for the next time they met. He seemed genuine enough.  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Tsukki arrived at Kaori’s door and she opened it before he had the chance to knock. 

“Ran into your mother on the way here,” he smirked. 

“Sorry I panicked, Ijust wanted to debrief.” she said, taking the groceries from him and laying out the food on her tiny counter. He set aside his shoes and washed his hands before taking out the chopping board. 

“What did she ask?” Kaori gave him her full attention. Her gaze seething with curiosity. 

“She asked if I thought I was too young to be in a serious relationship that kinda stu-”

“What?” she exclaimed abruptly . 

“She also said something about us playing house…”

Kaori’s head spun. She didn’t expect her mother to be overly gracious, but even this was harsher than she expected her to be. Tsukki had been a behaved enough child and his reputation in the neighborhood was relatively untarnished. He deserved better treatment for their first meeting at least.

As Kaori stood analyzing the situation, Tsukki took out the chopping board and a knife.

“Penny for your thoughts,” he said, breaking her out of her reverie, “Did something happen in Tokyo? Your mother didn’t seem like the type of person to be so…suspicious of me.”

Her cheeks flushed pink and the end of her lip tugged to one side. Tsukki raised a brow as she avoided his gaze. 

“Okaasan found out about my high school boyfriend because she may have seen me with his arm around me in a park after a jog when I said I was running alone…” she trailed. It was so rare to see Kaori uneasy, usually he was the one throwing him off guard. This reversal was entertaining. 

“…I think she would have preferred for me to have broken up with him, but my grades were good and I had just topped my regionals so I was definitely going to nationals…” she continued. 

“Go on…” he smirked. 

“He was a little older than me, you know because he was already captain of the volleyball team when I transferred and I think she was wary of him because of that too… She kind of threatened to take me off gymnastics if my grades ever fell because she assumed it was going to be because of him… and we may have had a few fights after she said that.”

“Volleyball? You have a type.” he grinned, “An older boy? Wow I am learning a lot of things today.”

She brushed his comment aside, regaining her composure. “I like to think I attract a certain type. I still think she should’ve given you a chance before treating you that way though. You’re a good person.” 

Tsukki assumed that Kaori had been with someone else while she was in Tokyo, but they never really talked about it. He didn’t need to know. Nevertheless it was still interesting to hear about her talk about her “lost years” in Tokyo as he dubbed them. 

“Mmmm…so she’s still pissed at you about it?” he remarked. 

“Obviously,” she snorted.  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On another day spent wandering around their old haunts, Kaori finds herself alone with Mari Tsukishima. Kei is in his old room, looking for some photos.

“Tsukishima-san, you’re a mother…” trailed Kaori, distracted and embarrassed. She was tapping on her water bottle, a little uncertain about why she was asking Kei’s mother of all people. 

“Well, yes I am…” said Mari, curious to see where this conversation led.

“Do you find yourself questioning your kids’ decisions from time to time?” she asked quietly. 

Mari was a little surprised by Kaori’s question. 

Mari sighed, “From my experience, I find it best to let the kids just make their own decisions…just because I give advice doesn’t mean they’ll take it or that it will be applicable to them.” 

She pulled out a tray of mochi from the counter and sat with Kaori on the dining table. 

“I don’t mean to pry, but is there something going on that you want to talk about?” she asked kindly. 

“My mom, she’s questioning a lot of my decisions because she’s afraid that I would make the same mistakes as she did.” Kaori hesitantly spoke up. Mari didn’t know what Kaori’s relationship with her parents was like after the divorce. It seemed that it had some patches. 

“You’re different people. You can’t make the same mistakes.” Mari assured her. 

“Do you think I’m too young to be in a relationship?” Kaori asked, her eyes looked at Mari, but her attention was elsewhere. Her fingers fumbled while they talked. 

“You’re young, but you’re not too young. I met Kei’s father in college…sometimes you don’t choose the timing. You just make the most out of it.” said Mari. 

“You can’t make everyone happy even when you try with all you can. Make the smart choices that you can and ones that you can stick with.” she added.  
————————————————  
Kaori watched Tsukki close the gate behind them before they started their walk towards the train station. He laced his fingers with hers as they strolled, absent-mindedly stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. 

“Tsukki, aren’t you afraid that one of the neighbors will see us?” she asked, pulling her hand back and glancing at the houses they passed. 

“And who will they tell? My mom? I think she knows.” he huffed, taking her hand again. His relationship with Kaori was like a white elephant in their household. His father probably knew about it too. It’s just that nobody talked about it. 

They had spent many train rides posited across each other when they stood near the door. When the door closed, Tsukki walked over to her and put his reassuring arms around her shoulder. She dipped her head into his chest. He placed his chin on her head. They remained like this on their way back to Sendai. 

The train shuffled by and the sun from the window warmed her skin. Basking in the bliss that stemmed from standing close to each other, they revelled in the contentment that had eluded them for years. The city station was fast approaching.

“You know we’ve been going back to the sub-urbs and the countryside a lot.” he murmured, eyeing the light that flickered indicating which station they were arriving next. 

“It’s nice there during the summer. Not too hot.” she yawned.

“Do you really want to leave all this in maybe 2-3 years?” he asked, quietly looking out of the window.

“If my mom settles in the Kanto region or if she picks a fight with you, we can stay.” she nodded, “It’s not so bad here.”

Once she finished college, she would have lived in Miyagi for 7 years which was the longest she’s lived anywhere. She smiled. She might as well call it home.


End file.
